Farm Horizons, Aug. 2006

Jungclaus Implement's new facility offer one-stop convenience

Jungclaus Implements has taken on a new look with the opening of its 44,000 square foot facility in Glencoe.

Owner Mark Jungclaus said the new building is part of a five-year business plan, the goal of which is to make the company a one-stop shop for its customers.

The business has been in the Jungclaus family since his father Melvin purchased it in 1971.

Jungclaus purchased the business from his father in 1996, and since that time, he has added many new products to address the needs of his customers.

The company’s business remains about 50 percent agricultural, and now includes about 25 percent lawn and garden products, and 25 percent motor sports.

Jungclaus has added McCormick and Massey Fergusson tractors, Sunflower tillage equipment, as well as Vermeer and MacDon hay tools.

Lawn and garden additions have included Cub Cadet, Dixon and Kawasaki products.

The biggest addition in the motor sports category has been Suzuki products, which was added about six years ago, Jungclaus said.

Another big change for the company was the addition of Carquest, which was added about one year ago. Carquest stocks parts for automotive, big truck, trailer, farm, and lawn and garden parts, according to Jungclaus.

The company started to move from its old building to the new facility in April, and the move was not completed until August. The large parts inventory has been one of the more challenging aspects of the move.

“Moving one million dollars worth of parts has been the most time-consuming constraint,” Jungclaus commented.

In addition to the physical challenge of the move, the company has implemented a new business software system, so it has had to load all of the inventory information into the new system.

“We have worked a lot of 14-hour days,” Jungclaus commented.

In addition to adding product lines, the company has added employees.

“We had 15 employees, and now we are up to 22,” Jungclaus said.

The new facility includes a 14,000 square-foot showroom, and a 14,000 square-foot service area. There is also a 5,000 square-foot parts department.

Jungclaus said he originally did not intend to build the 8,000 square-foot second-floor mezzanine area, but he is glad he did, because it is already about 60 percent utilized.

As part of the expansion, the building north of the new building will be torn down to make room for a new parking area. That step will have to wait until after the Highway 212 construction project is complete, Jungclaus said. The company’s other building will be kept for storage and assembly.

Jungclaus, who has spent 33 years in the business, said farm equipment was always his favorite part of the business, and the company will continue to support farm products, but changes in the industry have led him to diversify.

“It is no secret that there are less farmers. Those farms that are left are becoming larger,” he commented.

Jungclaus said hobby farmers are a growing area for the business. People who own hobby farms purchase compact tractors, lawn and garden equipment, and ATVs from the company. These categories will continue to grow as the Highway 212 project is completed and urban growth continues, he added.

“We are making this a one-stop shop for the consumer. Customers come in to buy a lawn mower, and I see them picking up washer fluid, oil, and filters while they are here,” Jungclaus said.

The majority of his customers come from the local area, but the company serves customers within a 60-mile radius, according to Jungclaus.